Monday, September 15, 2008

From the formerly Great Britain, we learn that six Green-"We Mean War"-Peace activists, who "protested" by causing £35,000 worth of damage to a power plant have been acquitted under a theory of "lawful excuse":

The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage.

Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a "lawful excuse" to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change. The defence of "lawful excuse" under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage – such as breaking down the door of a burning house to tackle a fire.

The not-guilty verdict, delivered after two days and greeted with cheers in the courtroom, raises the stakes for the most pressing issue on Britain's green agenda and could encourage further direct action.

Article here. The "lawful excuse" defense used above appears to be similar to our (US) "lesser evils" defense. The claim that damaging a power-plant is excusable in order to prevent even greater "global warming" damage, however, seems ludicrous. They simply vandalized another's property, and it seems they ought to have been held to account. Of course, this is Britain, where the loony left has apparently co-opted the judicial system. Unfortunately, verdicts like this will likely serve to encourage more, and possibly worse incidents of property damage, and perhaps even personal injury in the future. The only losers, naturally, are British subjects, who will have to pay the price for such lawlessness and eco-terrorism.